


Resurrection

by Mersheeple



Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, IVF, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: Hermione and Severus have struggled to conceive for years. Could IVF be the answer?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805746
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74





	Resurrection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Q_Drew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Q_Drew/gifts).



> The prompt of Resurrection came from the astounding and wonderful Q_Drew. I did not intend this to be a sad story but it kinda took me in a strange direction. I hope that it still fits the prompt and that you enjoy the story.
> 
> WARNINGS FOR MISCARRIAGE MENTIONS AND INFERTILITY.

It had been ten years since the end of the War. Hermione had found him, healed him, helped him in secret, willingly becoming a Pariah thanks to the Weasley boy taking issue with her helping him. She had taught him to speak again, taught him to walk again and taught him to live again. How could he not fall in love with her? It would have been crazy not to love someone who cared so much.

They had married in a small ceremony with some very unexpected guests. Hermione had invited Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy to stand with him. She had invited Ginevra Weasley and Luna Lovegood to be her attendants. The five guests and the two of them had stood before the officiant and declared their love. And Severus had been happy.

The first bit of sadness had come exactly one year after the wedding. She had miscarried. It had devastated them both, even though they hadn’t known for certain that she was pregnant. Neither of them had confirmed the pregnancy, they had just assumed. And then it had been over. He had comforted her and then wept silently as she slept in his arms, all the while blaming himself.

They had waited another year before officially trying again. And then held each other as she was taken to St Mungo’s hospital again. And again. And, finally, three years after they had married, they had sobbed together, his cool façade finally breaking as she miscarried for the fifth time. It was too much. It was all his fault, he was sure of it.

Secretly, he went to the Healers to ask them to run tests to see if there was something wrong with him. He had the results back within a week. Words jumped from the parchment at him, words he didn’t really understand. Words like “oligospermia” and “varicoceles” and, even more worryingly, words he did understand like “trauma” and “retrograde ejaculation”. Apparently the War was still claiming victims. Specifically, any future progeny he may have wanted.

They had discussed another option. In vitro fertilization she called it. She had also had tests done at St Mungo’s. “Blocked Fallopian Tubes” and “trauma” leapt out from her parchment as he read and he hugged her and showed her his own shame. They decided to try just once through St Mungo’s and once through the NHS. Both options were free for the first attempt. They decided a second was too prohibitive.

The first attempt, through St Mungo’s, was part of a pilot programme. They used magical means to increase chances, taking fertility potions and casting certain charms before and after the injection of their combined sex cells. They were only the third couple ever to try the St Mungo’s programme. It had failed.

The second attempt, through the NHS had taken a long time. It had meant weeks of tests and weeks of injections and weeks of mood swings on Hermione’s part. Hermione was desperate.

Harry and his wife had two children and another on the way. Ron and Lavender had twin girls. Neville and Hannah had one child. Luna and Ginny had adopted their first. She was the only one from their friend group that was not yet a mother and he knew how much it hurt her.

He had gone to the one person he had always been able to talk to about his problems. No matter that Albus had been dead for more than ten years. He stood by the monument on Hogwarts grounds and sobbed. Begging for help. Begging for something to help this be ok. A strange trilling noise caught his attention and he walked towards it, unable to stop himself.

A burst of flames appeared from where the stone was carved with runes he had never noticed before. He nearly cursed when Fawkes appeared out of nowhere. Fawkes had not been seen in more than a decade. Something in Severus must have called to the bird as it flew to land on his shoulder, trilling softly.

He took Fawkes home, hoping that this was a sign of something positive. He walked into the lounge and heard Hermione crying softly, whispering to her stomach. There was no baby bump yet, it was too early for that, but his heart broke nonetheless when he realised that she was praying and begging the baby to hold on, please hold on. Tears welled in his eyes and he whimpered slightly, ignoring Fawkes as he dropped to his knees to wrap Hermione in his arms. This was their last chance. He had made her a promise that this would have to be the last time. Neither of them was strong enough to weather this storm again.

Fawkes hopped from his shoulder and rested his head against her belly. The bird began to cry and sing and Hermione quieted, staring at the bird, at Severus, at her belly. No words were said. No words were needed.

Their twins, Anastasia Ember and Tiberius Aidan Snape, were born six months later. No one mentioned the fact that their hair started off red. Nor that their eyes started off gold.

And no one dared mention to Severus that the phoenix that now resided almost exclusively on his shoulder looked an awful lot like Fawkes.


End file.
